I need to replace the timing belt and the serpentine belt on my 2002 Volvo s40. I have an experienced mechanic who offered to do it.


I need the answer to two things:


1. Is this job capable of being done by a backyard mechanic? I always thought that this was a big job ad required maybe a hydraulic lift to put the car on so one can see what is under the car if we need to.


2. While this is being done and since so many things are being dismantled is there anything else that can be done during the install that can save time in the future. In other words, while we in there, what else can be done during this process?


Any help appreciated.


Thanks in advance.




Respectfully,


Lou_Reed

 

The belts are accessed via a trap door in the passenger side wheel well so no lift etc required. The serpentine belt requires a tool to release the tensioner (hey a trip to Harbor Freight?). The timing belt removal is a good time to do the water pump and cam seals but not mandatory. I'd pop off the timing belt cover to see if its tidy and dry or you have some weepy seals or a water pump leak prior to deciding. The complexity of the job is the VVT gear. Cam locks are recommended and there's a procedure to be followed when resetting with the new belt. vids on youtube can give you a sense of the effort. Considering this a 100K mile maintenance, I'd do the water pump, tensioner, idlers for the timing belt and test the idlers for the serpentine. If you have any pulley noises at idle, I'd just spend the extra $40 per idler and do the serpentine idlers all at once. You can also consider doing the cam seals - but they will add about 1.5 hours of shop time to the job. Worth doing if you plan on keeping the car for another 100K

 

I am just concerned that the serpentine belt must be replaced correctly. If the belt breaks in a 2002 Volvo s40, the engine is destroyed.

If it is not a procedure that is hard to do then okay. The procedure being replacing the serpentine belt.

It just must be done correctly.

Now if the timing belt breaks all you do is run down your battery; then you call AAA.

Is this correct? Please advise.


Respectfully,




Newport_j

 

you have it backward - serp belt drives alternator, ac, etc
timing belt drives cams - bad day if this breaks. Usually its not the belt that fails - but the tensioner

we have the factory timing belt kits on sale for $132.17

Tim
800.234.5394

 

Yep. The timing belt is the most critical of the two. Most timing belt kits include a new serpentine belt (I think I paid $15 for a Conti serpentine belt for my 850) as noted the key parts in the timing belt kit includes the tensioner (don't want a loose belt and have the cams slip a tooth or two) and the timing belt idler. You need to remove the serpentine belt to access the timing belt so replacing it is a no brainer.

 

Just to clarify, the kit Tim mentioned is just the timing belt, idler and tensioner. The kits that include other parts, such as a water pump, serpentine belt or cam seals, are aftermarket ones or pieced together by vendors.

 

This is true. I'm impressed on how long the water pumps hold up on the white blocks - we usually never bother to replace them unless they have over 200,000 miles at our dealership.

 

water pumps are another one of those parts in my opinion going OEM (ie Aisin) or Genuine Volvo is a good idea vs aftermarket brands of unknown quantity given the labor to replace a failed pump is like doing the timing belt all over again. I just did an Aisin on my 95 850T as part of the 210K mile timing belt - considering the car is 20+ years old, I wasn't even sure when the pump was replaced previously - and I've owned the car since new :-) And yes, I did kind of put together my own kit to get the mix of Genuine Volvo plus OEM.

 

Yep, same here.

 

Howdy!

I'm preparing to change the time belt in my '05 S40 (close to the 120k miles), but some oil leak is appearing by the actual time belt cover side. Is this because some camshaft seal? see the image at https://1drv.ms/i/s!AFEccIt5Q1M3iE0

It happens the same thing in the older 2000 S40, we change the seals but never stops the leak.

Any ideas?

 

More than likely the cam seals - could be the VVT hub, but this is not as common on the 5 cyl S40's compared to the 4 cyl S40's from what we see

 

Do you have a pict or link where to get it? I don't found it in the parts store.

 

you can visit my store below - or give me a call at (800)234-5394

Tim

 

I am replacing my timing belt and most related parts on my 2001 Volvo V70 at home in Arlington, MA. I am at the point of threading on the new belt but don't have enough slack to get it on. I compared the new belt to the old one, and it is the same size. If you have the ability and live near me, I would pay you for your help. Joe, 617-645-1168.

 

Joe,

Have you release the tensor? you can make it using an hexagonal tool to make slack it, just make sure to not move and slack the temperature click. Take a little moment to search on google the right position of this temperature indicator to your volvo model. If you give mote time I can send you a picture of this process from my repair manual.

 

In replacing the water pump, as I believe that I should do when I am already in the general area, when I am replacing the timing and serpentine belts, is it safe to assume that I would lose all engine coolant and need to replenish that once the car is repaired? It is 2002 Volvo s40.


Any help appreciated. Thanks in advance.


Respectfully,


Lou Reed

 

well you'd loose all the coolant above the bottom level of the water pump (including what's in the reservoir) - which is to say, yes you want to drain the radiator prior to removing the water pump. most shops use it as a good time to add fresh clean coolant.

 

Is it nessessary to line up the cam notches before taking everything off? Or can I do it at the end?

 

Your S40 has a VVT gear on the exhaust cam which complicates the process. best to read up on the procedure on how to keep it simple and how to use a cam lock. I'd start by seeing if you can rent a cam lock at Autozone or similar. If the S40 is like the 850s the crank mark is hard to see until you remove the belt but the timing marks on the fixed gear is easy to see so no reason you wouldn't rotate the crank clockwise until that mark lines up.